We take a look at the favourites to become new West Brom manager after sacking Tony Mowbray and naming an interim replacement.
The Rams claimed vital win at The Hawthorns on Easter Monday in a battle to stay in the second tier, while defeat for the Baggies dented their hopes of getting in the playoffs.
Derby County defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-1, ending their four-game winless streak. Ebou Adams and Jerry Yates scored in the first half, while Adam Armstrong pulled one back for Albion. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing sealed the win with a late goal.
Derby remain just above the relegation zone, while Albion slip to 10th, six points from the playoffs with two games left.
We have today parted company with Head Coach Tony Mowbray.
Assistant Head Coach Mark Venus has also departed.
The club would like to place on record its thanks to Tony and Mark for their efforts – but has made the decision to part company following a series of poor results.
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) April 21, 2025
CLUB STATEMENT:
West Bromwich Albion have today parted company with Head Coach Tony Mowbray.
Assistant Head Coach Mark Venus has also departed the club.
The club would like to place on record its thanks to Tony and Mark for their efforts – but has made the decision to part company following a series of poor results.
Tony and Mark will forever be welcome at The Hawthorns and their contributions to the club winning the 2007/08 Sky Bet Championship title will never be forgotten.
Everyone at Albion wishes Tony and Mark all the very best in the future.
James Morrison will oversee first-team affairs on an interim basis, assisted by Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill.
The process of recruiting a new Head Coach is now under way.
Not a friendly. A league game.Total apathy at the moment #wba pic.twitter.com/ycdKCMFKnp
— DJ Andy Gulch (@DJAndyGulch) April 21, 2025
BetVictor – 22nd AprilGary O’Neil – 3/1Steve Cooper – 4/1Liam Rosenior – 5/1Sean Dyche – 6/1James Morrison – 10/1Steven Gerrard – 12/1Will Still – 14/1Rob Edwards – 14/1Luke Williams – 14/1Wayne Rooney – 16/1Nathan Jones – 16/1Richie Wellens – 20/1Noel Hunt – 20/1Neil Warnock – 20/1John Terry – 20/1Des Buckingham – 20/1David Wagner – 20/1
TONY MOWBRAY’S POST MATCH INTERVIEW:
Mowbray said: “We lost some ridiculously easy goals from their perspective, which is so unlike us I think.
“I genuinely didn’t feel any threat from the opposition’s set-plays – Kyle Bartley and Torbjørn Heggem are normally heading them away every week.
“Today, before we could even blink really, we were a goal down from a set-play which is so unlike the team.
“I thought in the first-half, and I’ve told the team this so I’m not talking out of turn, I thought we lacked courage to play. Is it a pressure to play at home? It shouldn’t be. It should be a privilege and to enjoy the ball and attack and play forward.
“We played sideways and backwards too much, especially in the first-half. I thought we improved in the second-half after the changes and yet we lost another ridiculous goal at the death.
“I thought there were some positive signs in that half-an-hour after the change. We looked as if we could get back into the game, but we’ve left with nothing and we’re disappointed.
“I’ve questioned the players in there. I’ve questioned their bravery really. Not bravery in a physical sense, but bravery in the sense of getting on the ball because that’s the way I believe West Bromwich Albion should play, especially at home.
“We should be a team attacking the goal, having the ball, playing with intensity and putting shots and crosses in. That didn’t happen.
“I felt the team was pretty good after the changes and on the front foot and pushing Derby back. We were getting the ball in the box. I know they’ve got a lot of big guys and they defended pretty well.
“We had a few opportunities and we scored a good goal. The pin in our bubble was the really soft third goal to kill the game off. At 2-1, I stood on the side and believed we were going to equalise.
“We stand here now having lost 3-1 and we have to take the criticism and we have to take the questioning of the desire of the team. The team are hard enough on themselves and they’ll question each other about how that happened today.
“I hope they’re having conversations. I’ve told them what I think, what I watched today and what I saw. I don’t think it’s too harsh to say we lacked bravery. They might not like to hear that, but I have to be honest to the public who have come to support us.
“I was very disappointed today. Where was the real intensity and desire to put right the difficult day we had at Coventry last week?”
